China said it successfully launched an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) into the Pacific Ocean on Wednesday in a move likely to fuel concerns among its neighbors.
The Chinese defense ministry said the missile, carrying a “dummy warhead” was launched at 8:44 a.m. local time and fell into “expected areas” in the Pacific Ocean.
China called it a “routine” test that was part of its annual training plan. An analyst told AFP that such test fires have not happened outside Chinese airspace in years.
The last publicly known time China fired an ICBM in the Pacific was in May 1980.
China said “relevant countries” had received prior notification. However, Japanese government spokesperson Yoshimasa Hayashi told reporters that there was “no notice from the Chinese side in advance.”
The test comes amid rising tensions in the region and concerns over China’s nuclear arsenal.
A 2023 Pentagon report estimated that China’s arsenal of operational nuclear warheads had increased to about 500. The Pentagon said it expects China to have more than 1,000 operational nuclear warheads by 2030.
“China is expanding its nuclear arsenal faster than any other country,” Hans M Kristensen, a Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) expert on weapons of mass destruction, said in June.
In July, China pressed pause on arms control and nuclear proliferation talks with the US, blaming the suspension on US arms sales to Taiwan.
Taiwan’s independence has been a decadeslong grievance for Beijing. The island declared its independence from the mainland in 1949.
China claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and has threatened to attack it if it doesn’t cede control.
“China aims to signal its growing military capabilities as the United States deepens its security ties with allies and partners in Asia,” Ali Wyne, senior research and advocacy advisor at the Crisis Group, told BI.
“The timing of the test is notable, occurring shortly before the 75th anniversary of the People’s Republic of China’s (PRC’s) founding and ahead of a phone call that US President Joe Biden and his counterpart Xi Jinping are expected to have in the coming weeks.”
“Amid ongoing turbulence within the top echelons of the PLA’s Rocket Force, China may also be trying to telegraph that its military readiness continues to improve.”
